Post 169: Reflecting Part 1

Reflecting: to think, ponder, or meditate.

Three of us out of the four in my household are not feeling well. We've sorta been under the weather since Sunday. It started with my son, Brier having a headache...then a fever. We fought the fevers for about two days. Yesterday morning he threw up and by the afternoon he seemed to be feeling much better. He hasn't had much if any fever since, yet it has really taken it out of him. He is currently laying on the couch beside me, asleep. He still has a nasty cough and a runny nose - so I don't know if he will be able or up to returning to school tomorrow or not.

By Monday evening my throat wasn't feeling that great. It has since gotten worse. I've had a few slight headaches with it as well. I don't know if I myself have had any fevers or not. I just know I've not felt up to par and that's not good when your children are sick. Thankfully, David is not appearing to have caught any bugs yet.

However, this morning Ashlynn woke up with a headache and fever. She is currently asleep on the other couch across from me. I pray she gets better quickly. I fear we may have to reschedule her birthday party and I know that would just really bum her out. Her birthday is Friday and she is supposed to have a bowling party on Saturday. So please pray for her.

Before this sick little bug decided to come and knock the wind out of us, I had been cleaning up my scrapbook room. It is so close to being finished that it frustrates me to no end, having gotten sick, and yet again not getting it finished. Oh well - I'll get there sooner or later, right?

My cleaning of my scrapbook room and some memories is what has caused me to write this post.

Saturday, October 17th - was Jim Munger's birthday. Jim was married to David's Mom, Marilyn. If you've followed my blog for any amount of time you also know that we lost Jim this past summer. David was in Iraq and the Red Cross message was sent out and they sent him home to be with his family. If you'd like to read more about that click here.

Anyway - you know when birthdays come around how easy it is to forget that birthday? Unless of course it is your spouse or child, but the rest of your family, your extended family...how many times do they get those birthday cards on time? How many times do you forget and put it in the mail 2 weeks or a month late? Or maybe even not at all?

I am one of those people. I remember the birthdays. I think about the person that day. Sometimes I even get the card in the mail or email them a little message, but more than that I generally think about it and it doesn't seem to go any further. I'm not sure why that is.

However, as October 17th came round last weekend, I didn't forget whose birthday it was. I really couldn't send a card this time. So I simply reminded my husband to call his Mother that day - what more could I do?

As I sorted things in my room and flipped through a few scrapbook albums, just some small ones and I was amazed at how much of Jim was in each of them. He was a big part of our lives. We all have our way of remembering and reflecting. I guess my way involves looking back at the memories that I've documented for our family.

Jim used to drive me absolutely crazy! There were times I just wanted to ring his neck and other times all I could do was laugh. I remember when David & I went on our first date. After going to dinner and a movie, we went back to PC's Bar & Grill for karaoke and dancing. Jim & Marilyn were there and boy did Jim do everything he could think of to embarrass me! He was good at that - with anybody.

Not long after that David was graduating from Airmen Leadership School and I was riding up to the base with his Mom & Jim. They picked me up at my house and I wore a blue/cream dress that looked very business like and hit just above my knees. As I stepped into the car Jim informed me, "Girl, you've got some ugly knees!". I don't know why that stuck with me but it did and back then it probably irritated me, but today it just makes me laugh. That's how he was.

When David & I welcomed our first baby into our lives Jim was there, along with Marilyn - who was great that day. She didn't have to be up there helping me, but she was and it meant a lot to me. Jim was the first one to hold Ashlynn. I didn't know that at the time - I had a c-section and they knocked me completely out.

He was one proud "Papa".... but even then he irritated me. He was in there holding her and poking her on the nose trying to get her to open her eyes and look at him. I wanted to poke him in the nose - don't know if that's normal for a new mom's thoughts, but that's what I'd thought. I couldn't wait til he got out of that room. He was again driving me crazy.

Looking back, that's just the way he was...the way God made him. He could get under your skin so bad and then he'd do something that just made it "ok". Jim had a lot of health issues and he had a lot of surgeries, even before the last time they'd admitted him. He was always trying to stay healthy. He'd damaged his body a good bit with the hard life he'd lived, but he was trying to right it all.

He became a man of God. Went to Church every Sunday and reached out to the teenagers in the community. Allowed them to have cookouts and things at his home. Many times there was an extra kid at their dinner table...and they were all like family. Jim saw his calling and I believe it was to reach out to those kids and show them love. Many of them even called him Grandpa. He helped them rebuild things, buy cars, and so much more. And they helped him with his farm.

They were respectful kids and funny too. I think Jim taught them that...taught them that odd trait of being a good person yet also being able to drive someone crazy! :) It's a part of him that I think will live on for a long, long time. Even in my children.

Every summer since approximately Brier's 2nd birthday, my kids would spend a month or so on the farm with their "Papa & Nana". It was their thing, what they waited all year long for, and they loved every minute of it. They went to Church with them and more. Marilyn & Jim made sure the kids took swim lessons and a handful of those teenagers that Jim was always reaching out to worked at the swimming pool. They were my kids instructors and they treated my kids with great care. Both of my children learned to swim during their summers at the farm.

We knew when we moved to England that, that was probably the last summer they'd spend on the farm with "Nana & Papa". We couldn't afford to send them home for it from here and there was no way I'd fly my children anywhere without me or David with them. That's just something I can not do.

What we didn't know was that, that day would also be the last day they saw their Papa here on earth. So as I've sorted through the things in my room and I've flipped through my children's scrapbook albums...it gives me great pleasure to see bits and pieces of their Papa all through it. From stealing his recliner (like I used to do to my grandpa), to stealing bites out of his apples, making pancakes, tractor rides, horseback rides, planting the garden, riding the 4-wheeler, fishing, and more...it's all there...and for that I'm very thankful.

Jim was there for many big occasions, but he was also there for a million of the little ones. So here's to you Jim. We hope you had an amazing birthday up there in Heaven and thank you for all you did for us and many others down here on earth. We love you, Happy Birthday.

Other Posts on Jim:
Prayer Request.
He was called home.
In Memory of.